Skate



(No Model) B. H. BARNEY.

Patented Nov. 23 1897.

NITED STATES FFICE.

PATENT SKATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 594,191, datedNovember 23, 1897.

Application filed March 1, 1897-,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EVERETT H. BARNEY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sole-Olamping Devices for Skates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to skates, the object being to provide improvedsole-clamping devices therefor which automatically adjust themselves tothe varying conformations of the borders of the sole of a shoe, wherebythe runner of the skate is brought to a longitudinally-central positionunder said sole; and the invention consists in the peculiar constructionand arrangement of said sole-clamping devices, all as hereinafter fullydescribed, and more particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 isa sideelevation of a skate provided with sole-clamping and clamp-operatingdevices embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the underside of the forward end of the skate, clearly illustrating the severalparts of said sole-clamping devices. Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line3 3, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the runner of the skate.

B is the heel-plate, secured on the runner A in the usual manner andprovided with heel-clamping devices of the class shown and described inUnited States Letters Patent issued to me on August 11, 1896, No.565,715.

The sole-plate O is secured to the upper edge of the runner A in theusual orany Wellknown manner and has a short slot 2' therethroughlongitudinally arranged near its rear end, through which a headed bolt Kpasses loosely and is free to move between the extremities of said slot.Said bolt K has a screwthreaded clamp operating screw -r0d h passingthrough it, as shown, and said screw-rod has a connection with thesoleplate, whereby it is free to be turned by any suitable key orwrench, but is held against longitudinal movement on said sole-plate bya fixed collar d thereon and a washer t, which is held in place by a pin'0. Thus by turning said screw-rod h said bolt K has the above- SerialNo. 625,488. (No model.)

mentioned movement in the slot 2' imparted thereto. A sole-clampingequalizing-barJ is hung on said bolt K under the sole-plate O, which hasa free oscillating movement on'said bolt.

The sole-clamps N N, each having a soleclamping dog 3 on its free end,are supported under the sole-plate C by headed bolts passing through aslot in each clamp in a wellknown manner, wh ereby a force actingagainst the rear ends of said clamps to move them longitudinally undersaid sole-plate serves to move the sole-clamping dogs 8 s thereonsimultaneously against or from the borders of the sole of a boot or shoewhich may be placed on said sole-plate. Heretofore the connection of therear ends of said soleclamps N N with the screw-rod by which they areoperated has been directly with the bolt K or one similar thereto; butsuch direct connection of the clamps with said bolt when said bolt ismoved, as described, results in imparting a like movement to each clamp,and such movement serves to carry each of the sole-clamping dogs 8 s alike distance outwardly and inwardly 0f the borders of the sole-plate,and consequently of the opposite borders of the soleof a shoe placed onsaid plate. This equal movement of said sole-clamping ends of the clampsN N answers every purpose when acting upon shoesoles which havesubstantially corresponding curved lines on opposite borders thereofagainst which both clamp-dogs s engage; but it is found that when ashoe'having a very narrow toe and a sole having sharply-varying curvatures on the opposite borders thereof is Worn, the clamp-dog firstengaging with the border of the sole acts to draw the toe end of theskate to one side of the center of the shoe, thus causing aninconvenient displacement of the skate on the shoe. The saidclamp-operating screw-rod h constitutes simple and efiective means foroperating said clamps; but I do not limit myself to that device forimparting movement to said clamps through said bolt and equalizing-bar.In the construction herein shown and described the above inconvenienceis obviated by placing said freely-oscillating equalizing-bar J on saidheaded bolt K and by pivotally connecting the rear ends of said clampsto the ends of said bar, thereby providing means whereby when the skateis held centrally againsta-shoe for attaching the same thereto one clampmay come to a proper bearing against one edge of the sole while theopposite sole-clamp (which may be farther removed from the-other edgeofsaid sole) is gradually drawn thereagainst while the skate is heldcentrally on the shoe, as aforesaid.

The said screw-rod h, which is connected with:

and operates to move said headed bolt K and said sole-clamps N, may beattached revolubly in any suitable manner tothe soleplate of the skate.

Fig. 2 illustrates some of the varying positions relative to the bordersof the soleplate that the shoe-clamping'ends s s of the sole-clamps N Nmay assume by reasonof over the sole-plate more on one side thereof'thantlre other, the clamp" on that side will come to a'bearin'g firstandthe 'movementof that clamp'willbe'arrested The turning of the saidscrew-rod will continue to operate the sole-clamp which is free, and thestud K, with which the screw-rod engages, will con tinue its movement inthe slot of the soleplate, the equalizing-bar pivoting by one end on theend of the clamp which has come to a stop against'the shoe-sole, and theopposite end'of said bar, connected to the other clamp, will continue todraw the other clamp into contact with the other edge of the shoe-sole,the stud K in the slot of the sole-plate and haVing-abcarlng" on= theedges thereof preventing any deflection of the inner ends of thesole-clamps to one side of the center of 'said sole-plate. When thesole-clamps have both come to a bearing on the edges of the shoe-sole,the continued operation of the screw-rod moves hothof the clampstogether to tighten them equally thereagainst.

, Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby LettersPatient, is

In a skate, the foot plateO, providedwith 2a turned-down flange D at'itsrear end, and lwhich flange extends atanangle to the plate {which isprovidedwith a longitudinal slot jthrou'gh' its rear end, combined withthe opcrating-screw h, which is passed'through the turned-down flange, aheadcd'bolt K loosely placed'in the slot and adaptedto be moved

